The mirror needed in Spencerport
I know that many of my neighbors in the Spencerport/Ogden area are anxiously awaiting the firing of Mr. Steven Lysenko. I understand the shocking words used while under attack as a peaceful protester (yes it was peaceful) shocks your sensibilities.
Yes, we hold our school representatives to a high standard. Must that mean perfect? It should not when his life’s work as an educator has done nothing but benefit all students in the High School. The cries of, “how can we trust him?” and “how is he going to treat my student that comes from a law enforcement family?” should be judged by his life’s work, not his most stressful moment. I ask you to review your life and think of a moment when you were shocked and under attack. Would your actions always meet that perfect standard?
Mr. Lysenko has been an Administrator who walks the walk. The students of color in the District rely on him to be their champion. Try to come up with credible evidence that he has ever treated any student without dignity. It has just never happened. The Spencerport Central School district loves to list the group dedicated to social justice that he led as evidence of a commitment to diversity. Where is the true commitment when we turn our backs on him so quickly?
On August 12th, Town of Ogden board member, Thomas Uschold, offered a rant at a public Town Board meeting calling President Obama, “probably the most racist (President) we have had since Johnson” and the Black Lives Matter movement a “Marxist” organization. This man was a longtime Board Member who dismissed his constituents of color and had no sense of what these issues mean in a larger society. These statements were made prior to public knowledge of Daniel Prude and the current actions in the Rochester area. This is what Mr. Lysenko was working against every day. And where is the outrage for this?
Residents of Spencerport came out in droves in 2014 to clutch their hands and tense their jaws when school leaders attempted to make our schools (honestly the world) a better place by welcoming Urban Suburban students into Spencerport Schools. The program was implemented and has been nothing but a success.
So, Ogden/Spencerport hold up that mirror, look at yourself and call it what it is: your discomfort with champions of equality and the truth that your suburban world is more diverse than you would like to admit (yes, there are people of color, LGBTQ and Democrats!). Mr. Lysenko is a scapegoat for your fear of change. History is not on your side. You will come back at me with, “But I’m not a racist”- I’m sure you’ve already said that to yourself silently. How about we let him stay, let him apologize, continue his work, and prove to all you truly are not.
